Burlington Writers Workshop Leadership Team Meeting Minutes, 9/10/23*

*Approved: 10/08/2023

Key action items bolded and underlined

Meeting convened at 6: 35 PM

Attendees: Katherine Lazarus (Co-Chair); Sam Fenner (Managing Director); Dick Matheson (Treasurer); Millie Eidson (Secretary); Jon Fenner (Comms); Jane Nevins (Board member, Fundraising); Suzanne Guess (MSR); Julie Hay (Board Member); Gloria Cooksey (Fundraising)

General: Review minutes of the previous 8/13/23 meeting. Minutes approved.

Managing Director (Sam)

• Changes:
  • Dick stepping down from Programs and Fundraising committees; several others joining
  • Getting new help to support computer work for Short Story workshop
  • Poetry feedback workshop, resolving the EventBrite account issues
  • Establishing host coordination improvements for last-minute changes
• Master classes
  • 12 points to evaluate proposals and hosts; send to Programs team (Jon is creating email for it)
  • Will post criteria on website
• MSR
  • Suzanne Guess is the new managing co-editor
  • Dick will coordinate with her on payments: cover artist $50; article authors $50; artists for genre sections $15; takeaway section $15
  • Manuscript submissions continuing, payments by authors through Submittable
  • Short of CNF readers: reach out to those previously published in CNF to solicit readers (because they’re not allowed to submit for next year)
  • Prefer publication history and MFA for the readers
  • Manuscript feedback request (for feedback within a couple of weeks) is separate from longer MSR manuscript review

Funding (Jane and Jon)

• Grant update: recently awarded from Vermont Council of the Arts
  • $3000 operating grant for overhead expenses
  • UEI number is processingTrack details once funding starts, to generate end report (invoices, receipts, # served, # youth served, # writers participating, # writers served)
  • Could be used to support new platform to replace EventBrite
  • Could be used for existing expenses such as Zoom licenses and insurance
  • Cannot be used for office furniture, computers
  • Gloria, Dick, Sam and others all contributed to pulling off the application
  • Targeted at Vermonters served: report number of Vermonters who contributed during time of grant
• Autumn Fundraiser (Sam)
  • Microstory (500 words) Halloween-themed contest
  • Hotel Vermont is hosting on Sat. Oct. 28 Top 10 story authors will read1-3 prizes will be awarded
  • Submission fees $5, half of income awarded to winners
  • Deadline Tues. night, Sept. 12—will extend
  • Currently targeted to BWW members, celebrating our community.Extend to non-members?
  • Could show how we serve local community. Sam will draft announcement for Front Porch Forum.
  • Google ads targeted to Vermont. Vermont College of Fine Arts writers workshop (Suzanne sharing contact).
  • Jon will find out if Seven Days would print winning essay in their Halloween issue.11 stories submitted so far; start reviewing them now
  • Readers to pick winners already identified; play up their backgrounds?
  • Future non-fundraising contests: posting winners on webpage, no money awards, members only to celebrate and build our community

Comms Team (Jon)

• MSR website moved to same site as BWW for consolidation
• EB price change: For each meeting with >25 tickets, one time $9.99 fee; most of our workshops are smaller but could affect some master classes
  • Alternatives being reviewed
  • Establish member group for feedback on them after initial review
• BWW permanent address to a physical mailbox that is not member-dependent
  • $10/month for mailbox. Finance team will be emailed a picture of the mail, then Dick and Katie will pickup mail as needed, with Jon, as part of the Finance Team, as backup. If not picked up within a month, $1.95 plus shipping costs for packaging unpicked up letters to mail to someone.
  • New grant could cover costs.
  • Motion passed: start the process.
  • Current grant is Vermont wide so only need Vermont address—won’t be a problem
  • BCA grants: “Purpose Burlington City Arts’ Community Fund will provide general operating support grants of up to $5,000 for Burlington-based small arts organizations to create or advance projects that engage and benefit Burlington’s community.” Manager said we qualify, even without mailbox in Burlington, if 51% of in-person event programs or members are within Burlington; online events aren’t counted; appears to apply even if grant is for supporting online master classes
• Anyone can make a deposit to the BWW bank account; they don’t need to be named on the account. Is this risky? Allowed under banking regulations (no cash back). Depositor would need account information.
• Not required to have 2 signatures on checks at this time, but possibly in the future.

September 9th Master Class with agent went well.

• He said that agents usually get paid $300-$400 per seminar, whereas BWW typically pays $125.
• Agents in the past have accepted our limited payment;
• We should use our grant money for operational expenses that serve all members, not just those looking for an agent.
• Shouldn’t we keep same reimbursement for all who offer master classes?
• Query letter was focus for previous classes, and perhaps future classes with agents should focus on a different topic, like social media.
• New agents and agent assistants are hungrier for business and might be interested in offering classes.
• Plan on two classes per year.

Adjourned:  7:57 PM  Date for next LT meeting: Sun. Oct 8th, 6:30 PM